Discharge means for receptacle closure cap hoppers



y 1950 J. c. JOHNSON ET AL 2,506,791

DISCHARGE MEANS FOR RECEPTACLE CLOSURE CAP HOPPERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed June 3, 1949 INVENTORS. I (3 Johnson M y 9, 1950 J. c. JOHNSON ETAL 2,506,791

DISCHARGE MEANS FOR RECEPTACLE CLOSURE CAP HOPPERS 2 sheets-sheet 2Filed June 3, 1949 INVENTORS J C Jamison BY W. H Jk/msan Wqzzi' PatentedMay 9, 1950 UNITED STATES ATNT OFFICE DISCHARGE MEANS FOR RECEPTACLECLOSURE CAP HOPPER/S Application June 3, 1949, Serial No. 96,844

4 Claims.

This invention relates to hoppers for holding and delivering receptacleclosure caps in predetermined position to apparatus for working on saidclosure caps, such as apparatus for assembling sealing pads therein orapparatus for applying lassembled closure caps to receptacle, commonlyknown as cappers.

The invention is particularly related to discharge means for saidhoppers and it is the object of the invention to provide means of thischaracter which will facilitate the discharge of closure caps from thehopper in an orderly manner and prevent jamming of the closure caps.

The object of the invention is accomplished by providing a passage insaid means formed by a traveling endless belt at one side and a yieldingportion in the opposite side wall of the pas-' sage and dividing saidpassage into two parts at the inlet end thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thedetailed description of the invention.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application,Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a hopper provided with theimproved discharge means forming the embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of thedischarge means with portions of fixed and hinged covers broken away toshow the structure of said means.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view looking at the left hand side ofFigure 2.

The embodiment of the invention is shown mounted on a hopper shown in ageneral manner in Figure 1 and of the type shown in Patent No. 2,069762, issued February 9, 1937, to John A. Johnson, consisting of a hoppercasing for holding a supply of closure caps and having a hopper supplyopening, as shown at 4 in Figure 1. The discharge opening of the hoppercasing is provided with an annular member 5 secured to said hoppercasing and arranged with a swinging arm 6 for rotatably supporting adrum having one end juxtaposed to. the discharge opening of the hoppercasing to receive closure caps therefrom and the opposite end closed andprovided with an annular channel by a disk 1 secured in spaced relationto said opposite end of the drum on a shaft 8 rotatably supported by thearm 5. The drum is also secured to and supported by the shaft &. Theannular channel is closed for the greater part of its circumference by apart of the annular memher 5 and open at the lower portion where theannular member is arranged with a pedestal portion 9. The hopper issupported in elevated position by shown at H. connected in communicationwith the upper end a standard It] on which the pedestal portion ismounted. The annular channel positions the closure caps to extend in avertical plane and the closure caps are delivered in said position fromthe annular channel through the opening at the lower portion thereof.

A detailed description and disclosure of the hopper is not deemednecessary as it forms no part of the invention and is fully illustratedand described in Patent No. 2,069,762.

Means are provided to receive the closure caps discharged from theopening in the annular channel and deliver said closure caps in anorderly manner to a chute H for delivering the closure caps in a row tothe desired apparatus for working on said closure caps, indicated in ageneral way at I2. The discharge end of the chute is supported by theapparatus l2, as shown at 5|, and arranged with a pawl l3 pivotallysupported by a side wall of the chute and having a laterally extendingpin Hi to facilitate reciprocation of the pawl by suitable actuatingmeans, not shown, to control the discharge of closure caps from thechute II to the apparatus l2.

The means to receive the closure caps discharged from the hopper anddeliver said closure caps to the chute comprises a plate l5 having atthe upper edge portion a rearwardly offset flange it to be engaged andsecured on the rear face of a depending portion of the annular member 5,as The lower edge of the plate is of the chute II by providing saidupper end of the chute with a rearwardly offset flange secured to therear face of the plate with the front face of the plate and the closurecap supporting surface of the chute extending in the same end of thechute ll.

plane, as shown at la in Figure 3. A passage is formed on the front faceof the plate l5 extending from the flange 16 to the upper One side wallof the passage is formed by one stretch of an endless belt in the formof a sprocket chain l9 engaged around sprocket wheels 20 secured toshafts 2| and 22 rotatably mounted in bosses 23 integral with andprojecting from the rear face of the 5 plate l5. The belt is actuatedfrom the actuating means for rotating the drum and disk of the hopper bya transmission belt 2e engaged around a pulley 25 secured to an extendedend portion of the shaft 22 and a pulley 26 secured on a shaft shown inFigure 2. Said side wall of the pas- 3 sage is completed at theperipheries of the sprocket wheels 20 by blocks 28 and 29 secured to thefront face of the plate and each block having an arcuate edge extendingaround the portions of the endless belt engaged by the sprocket wheels,as shown in Figure 2. The edge of the block 28 completing the upper endportion of the side wall of the passage extends as a continuation of thestretch of the endless belt, as shown at 30, and the edge of the block29 completing the lower end portion of the side wall extends as acontinuation of the adjacent side wall of the chute II, as shown at 3|in Figure 2.

The opposite wall of the passage on the front face of the plate I5 isformed by an abutment member 32 secured along the side edge portion ofthe plate I5 opposite the side edge portion provided with the endlessbelt I9. The upper end of the abutment member terminates at the loweredge of the flange I 6 and the lower end of said abutment member extendsin an oblique direction to form an abutting face for the free endportion of an arm 34 pivotally mounted on a block 35 secured to theplate IS in line with the side wall of the chute I I opposite the sidewall in line with the edge 3| of the block 28, as shown in Figure 2. Thefree end of the arm 34 is yieldingly urged into engagement with thelower oblique edge of the abutment member 32 by a spring 31 having oneend supported by a pin secured to and extended from a post 39 mounted onthe front face of the plate I5. The opposite end of the spring isengaged on a pin 40 mounted in the arm 34 intermediate the ends thereof.The arm 34 forms a yielding portion in the side wall of the passageformed by the abutment member 32, arm 34 and block 35, so that a jammingof the closure caps in said passage will move the free end of the arm 34outwardly from the adjacent side edge of the plate I5 and said movementof the arm relieving said jam of closure caps.

To further facilitate the discharge of closure caps from the hopper tothe chute H, the upper end of the passage on the front face of the plateI 5 adjacent to the flange I6 is separated into two even parts by anelongated member or block 4| secured to the front face of the plate ISin parallel relation to the abutment member 32, as shown in Figure 2.The member 4| will separate the closure caps discharged from the hopperinto two rows which will become one row of closure caps at the entranceto the chute H by the arm 34 diverging from the abutment member 32 tothe chute and the travel of the endless belt [9.

The endless belt I!) is covered by a plate 42 secured to the blocks 28,29 by screws 43. The passage on the front face of the plate I5 iscovered by a closure plate 44 pivotally mounted on the plate 42 byhinges 45, as shown in Figure 1. The cover plate 44 in closing positionwill abut the abutment member 32 and block 35 which are of greaterthickness than the arm 34, so that the cover plate 44 in closed positionwill not interfere with the pivotal movement of said arm. The closureplate 44 is releasably retained in closing position by a latch in theform of a wing bolt 46 screw threaded in a block 41 secured to the frontface of the plate I5 and the bolt adapted to engage a slot 48 extendinginto the cover plate from an obliquely extending edge 49 at the lowerfree corner of the cover plate. The slot 48 is engaged with the bolt 46when the wings thereof extend in the direction of the slot 48 and thecover plate is retained in closing position by rotating the bolt toposition the wings to extend transversely of the slot, as shown inFigure 1. The closure plate 44 will also abut the block 41 in closingposition. The closure plate 44 is provided with slots 50 to inspect theclosure caps in the passage on the front face of the plate I5 and permitinsertion of instruments to break-up a jam of closure caps withoutopening the closure plate.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In discharge means for receptacle closure cap hoppers, a platemounted at the upper edge portion on the hopper, a chute mounted at theupper end portion on the lower edge portion of the plate intermediatethe side edges of the plate, an endless belt supported by the platerelative to a side edge portion of the plate with one stretch of theendless belt traveling relative to a side of the chute, an arm pivotallymounted on the plate relative to the other side of the chute to havemovement transversely of the lower corner of the plate at the sideportion of the plate opposite the side portion arranged with the endlessbelt, a spring supported by the plate to engage the outer side of thearm, and an abutment member secured to the plate to engage the free endof the arm under the force of the spring and form with said arm one sideof a passage on the plate having the opposite side formed by the endlessbelt.

2. In discharge means for receptacle closure cap hoppers, a platemounted at the upper edge portion on the hopper, a chute mounted at theupper end portion of the lower edge portion of the plate intermediatethe side edges of the plate, and a passage on the plate extending fromthe upper edge to the chute formed by an endless belt supported by theplate with one stretch of the belt forming a side wall of the passage,and the opposite side wall of the passage being formed by an abutmentmember secured to the plate juxtaposed to a side edge and adjacent tothe upper end of the plate, an arm pivotally mounted on the plate at oneside of the chute with the free end adapted to engage the abutmentmember and a spring supported by the plate to yieldingly position thefree end of the arm in engagement with the abutment member and form withthe arm a yielding portion of said side wall of the passage.

3. Discharge means for receptacle closure cap hoppers as claimed inclaim 2, wherein the upper portion of the passage is divided by anelongated member secured to the plate to extend parallelly of theabutment member and spaced from the opposite side walls of the passage.

4. Discharge means for receptacle closure cap hoppers as claimed inclaim 3, wherein the endless belt is covered by a second plate securedto the first plate in spaced relation thereto, and the passage iscovered by a closure plate pivotally mounted on the second plate andadapted to be releasably retained to the first plate in spaced relationthereto.

JOHN C. JOHNSON. WALTER H. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,072,790 Tevander Sept. 9, 19131,469,557 Goebel Oct. 2, 1923 2,069,762 Johnson Feb. 2, 1937 2,13 3 Json Oct. 18, 1938

